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Marvel: NOW! What?
Posted on 07/09/12 at 12:00 PM in Articles, Columns by Jim Mroczkowski
Marvel NOW! has potential. There are some promising indicators of quality tucked into that first round of press.
Above: you?
Here we see the promise of fictional characters and flesh-and-blood comic book creators alike stepping out of their comfort zones, leaving books where they've made names for themselves to play in an entirely different corner of the universe. A few quick years ago, Jonathan Hickman was a well-regarded super genius with a couple of mind-bending indie books and an iFanboy column to his name. (Yeah. That's right. "iFanboy writer Jonathan Hickman.") Now, he is about to take over the flagship of Marvel Comics, Avengers.
(Avengers or The Avengers? Is part of this initiative a new stance on Thes? Unclear. More on this story as it develops.)
A group of mutants most famous for speaking in flowery Chris Claremont orations are about to get scripted by a writer who idolizes David Mamet. Not to mention whatever's going on with this Uncanny Avengers stuff, where it looks like all the teams have been shaken up like a Pepsi in a dryer. What does a conversation between Thor and Rogue sound like? Have Captain America and Havok even met before? Everybody's getting new lockers and making new friends.
It should be fun. I'm interested. Curious. Intrigued.
"But would you go so far as to say you were excited?"
Well… let's face it. I like roller coasters– they're fun and exciting– but if I rode the same roller coaster all week, every week for eleven or twelve years, pieces of the track would have to start snapping off and flying at my head for it to get much of a rise out me anymore. What I'm saying is, I've been strapped into this thing for a while. This masterpiece you're reading right now is roughly the 212th such column I have written for this site. 213th, actually: I deleted a draft of this one when I clairvoyantly saw every comment and @ reply on Twitter before I even posted and wanted to kill them in the crib. I get excited by individual comics when they're actually in my hands, but teasers and announcements don't get many "Oh, wow!"s out of me.
That's what they're up against, the poor souls, as they try to keep us amused. If you're in their target demo, you're most likely a lifer who has seen every BloodTies and Maximum Clonage and Shadowland they could throw at you. You have seen the JSA aged and de-aged and killed and brought back to life. Marvel NOW! and DC's New 52 (which is now neither, I believe) are ostensibly about attracting new readers, but they don't want you going anywhere, either.
They've got their work cut out for them, don't they? How many of you heard about this Marvel NOW! thing and immediately got a puss on your face? Did you see the announcement with its lone image and immediately post "Yawn" or "meh."? If so, why did you do that? I'm as curious about that as I am about Uncanny Avengers. What thoughts compel you to type such a thing? If you actually find the news boring or unworthy of your attention, don't you just actually yawn or say "meh." out loud and go back to your cancer cure research? When you go to Target, do you walk around the store announcing, "Those polo shirts do nothing for me. I'm not buying any detergent, either. Cool Ranch Doritos are just Doritos in a different bag" to no one in particular?
Okay, so this doesn't excite you. What would excite you at this point?
I saw people grousing that Marvel was just shuffling the same writers who already worked there among existing books. Leaving aside the implication that Marvel should, I guess, fire a couple of their best-selling authors for the novelty of it, what would the alternative be? "Exciting news: we're handing Uncanny X-Force over to a new creative team, a guy you've never heard of and, oh, let's say the guys who do Penny Arcade. Also, The Amazing Spider-Man is canceled. It was time. On the plus side, Speedball gets another turn at bat as our star character, with Dawson's Creek's Kevin Williamson at the helm."
"I've always thought Daredevil and I should be teammates."
Seeing people annoyed (or very vocally uninterested) that their comics aren't being changed or messed around with enough is a new one on me.
This is where many people chime in with something about the "indie revolution." For what it's worth, the first two creator-owned books that come to my mind have essentially had the exact same creative team month in and month out for a decade, and for all the talk about how freeing it is to be rid of corporate editorial shackles they have easily become two of the most boring books I haven't dropped yet. The trade readers don't want them spoiled, but they need not worry. Did you read the last trade? That happens again. These guys punch each other until more blood than a body contains flies through the air, and those guys learn that the real monsters they have to fear are within all of us after someone arbitrarily gets killed. Why do we disdain creative shake-ups again?
All these new #1s and Marvel NOW! books are still Schrödinger's paperback. They could be amazing, in which case they'll become the new normal. They could be bungled, in which case everything will creep back to the way it is now. Either way, it will be fine. People will keep making things they think we'll like, and we'll act like we don't like anything, and the lions will die and become the grass that the antelopes eat. Or maybe some kid who never read a comic before will see a picture of the Avengers in the app store, see the #1 on the cover page, and start at the ground floor of something that really excites her. Imagine that.
Jim Mroczkowski should have kept the first draft.
Filed Under: Articles, Columns Tagged With: DC New 52, Marvel Comics, Marvel NOW!, San Diego Comic-Con, SDCC, SDCC 2012
BREAKING: Jean Grey Returning to Marvel Comics?
BREAKING: Marvel NOW! Relaunches The Marvel Universe (UPDATE!)
Inside Marvel NOW! - Interview with Axel Alonso & Tom Brevoort
Marvel NOW!: UNCANNY AVENGERS #1 Cover Revealed
RoiVampire says:
Oh man, I haven't heard a Kevin Meany reference in ages. I laughed out loud at my desk just from scrolling my mouse over that text and seeing where the link went to.
Zeppo says:
I am all over this. I started being really interested in comics in the earlier 2000's when real experimentation was going on at Marvel.
Then everyone seemed to find there grove, and stay there. The same creators on the same books for 10 years, got very samey. I started to branch out to Image and DC. Both of who have had a really strong the last 2 years.
If this is Marvel trying to step up and compete I'm all for it. I'm hoping they can diversify with new titles like DC have. Uncanny Avengers sounds great!
ExistentialCrisis says:
#1. ?
#2. Definately the Walking Dead
This seems like a fun game. Anyone else want to describe long-running books in as abtruse a way as possible?
Conor Kilpatrick (@cskilpatrick) says:
Invincible.
Jim Mroczkowski (@jimski) says:
I confirm none of these wild speculations.
Man wonders where his drinking buddies have gone. Doesn't find out. Has a lot of kids.
JokersNuts says:
Walking Dead is as good now as it has ever been, the book has been consistently great for the last decade.
RecksDeud says:
@ExistentialCrisis: This guy will throw his weapon at those guys over there, they'll all fall down and his weapon will come back to his hand, and it'll take three issues just to show it.
@RecksDeud
Thor. Too easy, gimme a hard one.
@ExistentialCrisis
What if I told you it wasn't a hammer, but a shield?…
OK, how about–Look, they hated and feared them forty years ago, they're gonna hate and fear them forty years from now, but their movies are always gonna make bank.
Also, I think your number 2 is correct, I'm thinking number 1 is Fables.
Wait, I got another one–There's cows and giant rats running around, a talking dragon and an old woman who's NOT WHAT SHE SEEMS…
Hornhead says:
@RecksDeud Bone?
Paradiddle says:
Invincible and WD, definitely (sorry, Kirkman). I'm reading the first in issues and the second in trade and both have become really stale for me. I'll probably stick with Invincible for awhile but am just not interested WD anymore…I'm just really sick of zombies and there are too many other trades I'd rather read.
@Hornhead
Bingo! You win a digital quiche.
Great column as always, loved the tweet about it last night.
Switch625 says:
I'm not excited about it and it has nothing to do with the new soft reboot or whatever it really is. I'll wait to see what happens, but if this is still the world where Spider-Man made a deal with the devil and where Marvel would rather deal with social issues than entertain, then I'm still out.
Marvel has always dealt with Social issues.
bub64882 says:
^^ Exactly. They can entertain and be topical at the same time, like any other medium.
Yes it is possible to both entertain and be topical, yet Marvel's books haven't entertained me in a long time. If I want topical issues, I'll watch the news and not waste $4 on their books.
Flash923 says:
I am excited, even after the heckling I have gave Marvel! I think it is great and would be even better if they just rebooted the whole Universe and called it that completely! I think the two oldest companys both need some updating and refreshing, The New 52 for DC was pretty good for the most part. There ares till a few characters that should have never bin remade or changed since they are stil fairly new, I think it should always be the more famous ones that have been around for some time. Marvel I think if they look at what they have a reboot for those characters that are older would be great and if they cut down on the number if issues for certain titles would be a blessing for readers who would like to jump on board. ie..X-Men, Spiderman and the Avengers respectively. Good for you Marvel and DC as well welcome to the future.
mercurymac says:
I'm honestly not sure what comments your directly relating to, but I can tell you why I'm not only not excited, but also thoroughly put off by Marvel NOW. As a long time X-Men fan, I stuck with the books during some really ropey periods, but for me, Grant Morrison's run consolidated the ongoing saga, and modernised the mutant world. The idea that mutants were the future was thrilling at a time when Marvel was getting increasingly more "real world". He opened up the game for future writers, and it wasn't just a smack in the face to Morrison, but also to me and thousands of other readers when they started undoing his work.
The last however many years since Bendis destroyed the mutant race has been one long interminable ride to get us back to square one – have Hope do what she was designed to do, bring back the mutants, and let the books exist in their own universe. Uncanny X-Force has shown how good the mutant books can be when they're not crossing over all the time.
Recently "relaunching" with Uncanny X-men #1 and Wolverine and the X-Men, Marvel seemed to be walking a fine tightrope between the victim race, and the pop tropes of 70s X-Men as well as New X-Men. Aaron and Gillen have been doing a fantastic job of making them legitimately cool and interesting again, and part of that has been about picking up threads left by Morrison. It's plain to see those two plus Remender were fans of that run.
Then comes AvX to put a brick wall in the face of progress, but even that still has unexpected potential to go somewhere interesting. But whatever happens, this is like watching a long running TV show. There are threads that had momentum here: Hope was born to save the mutant race, and in doing so, we'd finally get to go back and explore how humanity feels knowing that its days are once again numbered. The infinite possibilities for amazing, cool X-Men comics set in a world where they at the top of the pecking order and are responsible not for saving their own asses but for helping to make an orderly, humane transition from one species to another are incredible. But only if it reverts back to where I, and a lot of other long term fans, expect it to be, which I know sounds selfish and self centred, but isn't meant that way. The characters themselves have been stretched in other directions, and from the internet chatter, it seems a lot of people have noticed – Cyclops has almost been changed *too* much in some cases.
But whatever: the Marvel NOW thing is that after teasing us with AvX for ages, and saying it's going to be the culmination of a story that started with a brutal act of violence on a world a lot of us loved reading about (Decimation), it looks like before the dust has even settled, Marvel has decided that the X-Men universe as its own entity no longer exists. I don't want to read what Rogue has to say to Thor – the context in which these characters were created is very different – the rules of their worlds are *not* the same. It's taking the worst aspects of big crossover events, and turning them into actual books.
And for me, that's the biggest problem. Comics have always been produced to make money, sure, but readers have invested in them because they've put a lot of time into them. Marvel has never done the reboot thing, so the X-Men "story" has effectively been unbroken. Now they're mashing two worlds together and they're doing it simply for the sake of profit. Where are the real writers, the ones who care about the internal consistency of the books they're writing? It's the editors and publishers who have the say now – Uncanny Avengers is the kind of thing thought up in a board room, not at a single writer's desk. And the All New X-Men is such an unbelievably crass title it's not real… We're so backward looking and afraid of the future that we're going to make a brand new book about the old X-Men in the modern world?
I've got no problem with trying new things. I've got no problem with trying to find ways to reach new audiences. But if you or Marvel think that these initiatives are going to reach new readers, you're very wrong. New readers want a consistent world, with good, solid storytelling and implicate rules that can be bent and tested but not broken freely, with good characterisation that makes them care about the stories. I know this because I've spoken to a lot of non-comic readers, and I know what puts them off. And a know a lot of your other readers will have too.
Mashing together two previously massive and convoluted titles into one is *not* going to make it easier for new readers. It's about (as it has been since the late 90s) finding ways to maximum the sales from their existing readership. I don't read the Avengers and never have (apart from a few trades here and there) because I don't find it compelling enough, and I'm sure there's loads of folk who feel the opposite. Marvel are trying to cross sell their two biggest lines to the opposite readers in an attempt to get us to spend more money. End of.
I realise this is a long comment, and I know there'll be folk out there who think I'm just one of those moaning fanboys, but let me just say this. I've spent a LOT of money on X-books over the years. I've stuck with them through crappy writers and stories, even worse artists, event crossovers that I had to sit out until they were done, all kinds. And I'm not the kind of guy who'll say: screw you Marvel, I'm not buying it! without even having read it. I'm simply expressing my real fear of the future of these books as they become less and less about plot and character and more and more about moving things around because it seems mathematically sound to do so.
I *will* read some of these titles, but not others. I'll watch as some of my new favourite creators who were just getting into their rhythm leave for other books, and I'll "hope" that something of the magic of the X-Men manages to shine through this convoluted changeover. But I seriously doubt it, and I know a LOT of other folk out there feel the same way.
"He opened up the game for future writers, and it wasn't just a smack in the face to Morrison, but also to me and thousands of other readers when they started undoing his work." — Amen to that.
"New readers want a consistent world, with good, solid storytelling and implicate rules that can be bent and tested but not broken freely, with good characterisation that makes them care about the stories."
This is what Marvel NOW is aiming for IMHO. The X-Men have always existed in the same world as the FF and the Avengers, and my complaint prior to the House of M was that writers pretended it didn't. That wasn't a consistent world…It was the X Universe, with tons of crossovers, and the rest of the Marvel U, which sometimes featured Wolverine. It just didn't make sense.
I actually loved the old stories where the X-Men fought Arcade, or Dr. Doom, instead of yet another iteration of the Marauders. The interaction with Franklin Richards and Rachel Summers, Jean Grey being Misty Knight's roommate, the suggested links between Wolverine and Bullseye….That stuff was great! They've been getting back to it, and I for one have loved it. I'm a returning reader, and am loving the promise of Marvel NOW. (though they do have to cull some of these superfulous Avengers titles).
AnchorPete says:
What a wonderful comment. The one thing I have noticed on this site a few times is the disdain for the Grant Morrison run New X-men run. My friend and I both got back into comics because of that and Ultimate X-men. Since then, We have both spent Thousands of dollars on comics, which I am assuming many people on here have.
I was by no means an expert judge on Storytelling when I first got into comics, when I was a kid in the late eighties/ early 90s, but I do know that I stopped reading them by High School because whatever sense of unpredictability and excitement they generated had gone away.
In the early 2000s, that seemed to have come back, in particular with New X-men, Ultimate Spider-man and Ultimate X-men. I am glad someone pointed out that it was a noteworthy run, and that nowadays it seems that there is little care to at least cover up that all creative decisions are based on money.
I only read four or five Marvel books, and the majority of them are written by Remender. I know it is Ironic that he is going to be writing Uncanny Avengers.
@bub64882: I agree. I think the Marvel Universe is always stronger when the X-Men are an integral part of it, not off in their own bubble.
Fractal514 says:
"I don't want to read what Rogue has to say to Thor – the context in which these characters were created is very different – the rules of their worlds are *not* the same. It's taking the worst aspects of big crossover events, and turning them into actual books."
You do realize that in her first appearance Rouge was fighting against the Avenger, including Thor who she tried to absorb. I understand what you are saying based on YOUR point of reference, but in reality this is a return to normalcy of sorts. These characters WERE created, for the most part, as a cohesive universe, albeit over a long period of time.
pyynk says:
I'll admit, I'm among the crowd who shrugged their shoulders, but for me none of the books I'm currently reading are being affected. I've been off X-Men for years now and dropped the only Avengers book I was reading during this most recent crossover.
Jr. Wormwood says:
Really loved this article and I'm gonna link a few people to it who need to read it.
Has to be The Walking Dead and Invincible. Maybe Spawn and/or Savage Dragon? Hard to think of any other titles it could be…
And I'm down for the Marvel shift. They've got to do something. When I was a kid, it was ALL about the characters. As I got older, I started following certain writers and/or artists, so then it was about both the creators and the characters they were working on. Somewhere along the way, I got just as interested in the editorial and marketing aspects of comics. So I find this whole thing pretty entertaining.
KenOchalek says:
I think I'm on the same page as you. As much as I appreciate the rich history of the shared universes, I'm all in favor of blowing it all to hell these days if it means I keep getting good stories by talented creators featuring characters that I kind of know and love. And if there's even a chance it'll appeal to some new folks, all the better.
ryanwhodat says:
I sure hope they tweak Spider-man a bit. Leaving the movie, I decided to buy Spider Island. I don't know if any of this has been resolved, but anyone trying to jump on would find a mess. That book desperately needs to take a few steps back into simpler times.
MisterShaw says:
No, he's correct.
Spider-island was a mess. Eote was slightly better, and no turning back is off to a promising start, but overall Slotts retro style story telling is very off putting.
I am currently re reading JMS and Paul Jenkins era Spider-man, both series still feel more relevant and exciting than what Slott does. He has been paired with a number of great artists, but his stories for not up to their standards.
Unfortunatly putting 2 and 2 togethers I dont think Spider-man is being relaunched. Axel said one book is having a tones shift that suited the Now movement so was being left alone, while Slott said he has big plans for 700 that will change will the world of spider-man forever.
I don't have a problem with Slott. I just feel the continuity has gotten a bit out of hand. It's so far off the beaten path now.
diebenny says:
How is anyone correct when everything your discussing is subjective? Amateurs.
Slott's run has been very divisive. So basically, you guys (together) nailed it.
Good word use for divisive, I had to look that up.
You are right off course, everything I say is opinion, not fact.
I jumped onto the book after Spider-Island was over and found it VERY new reader friendly. I haven't really read a Spider-Man book monthly since the 90's and I had absolutely no problem getting caught up to speed. Peter Parker is written very well, as are his supporting cast (The Human Torch team up was awesome!) — Also, the Doc Ock plot was a lot of fun and Slott's writing of Mysterio was very very entertaining.
a.j.howard09 says:
I enjoyed Spider-Island, but I am surprised that people call it a good jumping-on point. The main narrative is pretty easy to understand, but Peter's and other familiar character's situation (Peter's job at Horizon and membership in the FF, Jonah's recently becoming a widower, Flash being Venom, Aunt May moving to Boston) were all set up, or at least examined, in the (close to a) year worth of issue's preceding the event.
Big Time is the clear place to start, if you ask me. Those issues set introduce Slott's run, and pretty much give you everything you need to know. There's been character development since then, but nothing too drastic. So after that you can go ahead and jump to current issues, and not be too lost. But I should point out that the stretch between Big Time and Spider-Island have some of the best issues of Slott's run, particularly "No One Dies."
Thanks, man. Solid information with no intent to be condescending or pushy.
I think you nailed it. I remember how stoked I was going into my first event as an every Wednesday dude. Now I've seen it all a million times. I mean I'm excited to still be getting quality work from the creators I enjoy… but I'm already getting that, so this isn't really that big of a change. My peeps are going to be working with new peeps on new characters and it'll be good, but it was already good soooo… I mean, I'm cool with it. It'll be fun. Am I excited? Not really.
What gets me excited nowadays is two creators perfectly paired. Hardman and Remender on Secret Avengers? That got me VERY excited (go back and read that arc too, it is AMAZING). I want more awesome NEW pairings. I guess Hickman and Opena is pretty damn exciting, but I think that Ribic is in that wheelhouse (and will probably rotate with Opena) so maybe that's why that particular announcement isn't hitting me all that hard.
I get excited about specific plot elements too. I really like Father from UxF and the underground robot city of his from Secret Avengers. Any quality writer and artist pairing picking up this plotline will excite me greatly.
Yea… We've all just been around the block too many times. People posting on the comic's interwebs are probably Wednesday Warriors from the long long ago. We've seen too much. It does make me happy thinking that someone is getting that feeling I got going into Civil War and Secret Invasion now. Maybe next event/relaunch they will be jaded too, but every relaunch or event is someone's first, and that shit is damn fun right there.
I'd also like to say that I too dropped Invincible and Walking Dead after 80+ issues. Stop copying me Jimski.
Bendrix says:
Not line wide events. Not slapping a name and banner on the same old (launching new #1 with new creative teams it not such a novelity, it just got a name now: NOW!). Give me one new book, with one fresh (or fresh-ly) idea, a great, fitting creative team that gets the chance to actually DO something without getting interrupted after one storyline by an event or reshuffling and renumbering, and I am excited.
I was excited by Waid on Dardevil with the promise to bring some fun to the character. I was excited by Bachalo and Aaron having Wolverine lead a school. Snyder and Capullo on Batman got me excited.
But "Hey, we do something BIG an slap a flashy name to it, look at us. LOOK AT US." does not excite me. Sorry, but you asked.
Don't be sorry! I hope more people answer that question, although ideally with a little less "I'll tell ya what doesn't excite me…!" I think I've got that down.
icn1983 says:
I agree with Bendrix. I also think some new blood would be exciting. Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee started drawing books when they were teenagers. At this point I'd rather see an up and comer than more of the same but different from the same creators who've basically scripted everything for the past decade.
I think letting Brubaker take over another title and putting full faith in him for like 6-ish years again would excite me. I'll buy what he writes until he does me wrong.
glennsim says:
My theory about what comics fans want, what would get them excited? New plots.
I think the bulk of longer-term comics fans want the same characters in the same settings, with the same powers and the same villains, with the same writers and the same artists, but with new plots that have the characters doing things they have never done before.
Unfortunately, that appears to be a really really difficult thing for comics writers to pull off.
I think that's because…at some point…a character is used up or played out and would really benefit from a reboot or a revamp.
I think part of the problem is the notion that these characters must continue to have adventures across the universe and ad infinitum (and while I could mean that literally — because this is comics — I mean it figuratively) month in and month out.
I mean, let's look at it a level up from just super-hero comics and think about fictional characters — how many characters can you think of that have had a 40-80 year run of adventures?
Sherlock Holmes had a good run back in the day (about 40 years). But even then you're pretty much looking at just the novels and short stories by Doyle.
So like you say, I think writing super-heroes these days is an exceptional challenge for creators. Many of these characters have been stretched, poked and examined from so many angles for so many years by so many writers that they might benefit from a rest. That's not to say I think every Batman (for example) story has been told, just that guys like Scott Snyder and Grant Morrison must really have to bend over backwards to find a new take to explore.
@glennsim – I really agree with this. The idea that there are no good stories left for older characters is just not right in my opinion. I don't think Snyder and Morrison have to bend over backwards for this – they work on characters they are invested in, and they just use their ingenuity and imagination to take them in new places. I have to say that often the majors get it both barrels from folk (myself included) that the plots are kind of lacking imagination. But I think a lot of that's to do with the writers out there.
There are many more new writers out there who can just keep things ticking over than there are writers with the personality, imagination and charisma to pull off exciting and interesting experimental new storylines that retain the integrity of the characters but explore how they react in new and interesting ways. I've got a bunch of ideas for the X-Men that would move the characters on significantly and explore their world more, and I know a load of other creators who have ideas for doing the same with Batman, Superman and others. Fingers crossed some day we get the opportunity to pitch these ideas and the folk who are listening are willing to risk their "property" for something that will not only insure the longevity of the characters, but also make them vital and interesting.
I'm sure there are many, many folk out there with similar plans in their heads; I just hope they push for them instead of giving in to mediocrity in the hope of getting work.
All that said, KenOchalek, I agree about giving characters a rest sometimes. And my ideas for the X-Men involve a large number of retirements, redundancies and sackings… 🙂
gatorbot (@slowwc) says:
Jim, I'm kind of like you, I guess: I don't divvy out a lot of "wows." I am, however, looking forward to Hickman on the Avengers. I like the Avengers characters, but I'm not a big Bendis fan–so I haven't been reading the Avengers titles he writes. With Hickman on board, it's a GO for me.
Smasher says:
The pattern is
1) the Big 2 announce something different for a beloved character, team, or universe
2) the fanbase (by and large) complains.
3) the fanbase (by and large) buys the comics just to see if their complaints were validated (i.e. Before Watchmen).
this will not change however…
A couple of Marvel's most popular titles of late (Fantastic Four and Daredevil) did not begin out of major crossover. These books saw increased sales and critical acclaim without a hype machine.
In the end we want to be excited by a great comic, not a persuasive press release.
So true. What we need to realize is we speak with our dollars, and when we spend those dollars, we are heard a lot better than the typing we do in places like this. We need to support what we actually want instead of following the masses.
undertak1983 says:
What would get me excited?
Giving Rick Remender complete creative control to make an X-Men story HIS story with special guest artist Jim Lee. ^_^
Before DCs New 52 reboot, my DC comics pull list was limitied to Batman, the Green Lantern titles, and a few Vertigo titles. Now I've added Justice League, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash. I was excited to try new titles with characters I've never invested in before. Now I go back and try out other # 1s like Swamp Thing and Animal Man. That's amazing! It's a company wide starting point.
I'm a huge X-Men fan but it hurts my wallet to have so many X-Men titles shipping twice a month at $3.99. Marvel needs to trim the fat.
I'll drink to that.
BC1 says:
The only thing that would excite a Marvel fan is a complete, line-wide reboot a la New 52. The problem is that will never happen. I think there is some pride in the fact that the same Fantastic Four that launched in the 60's is the Fantastic Four we have now, with no major reboots/retcons. Cap is Cap, Thor is Thor, Spidey is Spidey (one of a myriad reasons why attempts to put someone else in these roles tend to fail, eventually leading us back to the one and only). DC, however, constantly changes continuity and characters (4 Flashes, 5 Green Lanterns, 2 Superboys, 5 Robins, etc.), and readers roll with it. Not to mention they've rebooted their entire universe on multiple occasions, so for them it's part of their history. The closest Marvel has come is Heroes Reborn (which failed) and One More Day/Brand New Day (which still leave a bad taste in many old-time Spidey fans). I don't count 2099 or Ultimate U, since these didn't attempt to change the main universe. What they're doing with NOW! is the same thing they've done over and over – new character team, new creative team, new #1, same chronology, nothing's changed. They did it with Astonishing X-Men, they did it with New Avengers, and there was some excitement for a while, but then we got back to same-old, same-old and the thrill was gone.
The ultimate Line WAS a reboot, but without pissing off the old guard. And it has become their roadmap to the movie universe. It seems to have worked!
The 616 universe DOES NOT need a reboot in my opinion. Actually, nothing would make me less likely to keep reading at this point. What would it accomplish? A blank slate for us to get a new writers interretation of the Lee/Kirby classics? No thanks….they can tell new stories that are just as compelling without having to wipe the slate clean. Look at anything by Remender or Aaron or Parker…great stuff that works better because of the long history of these characters. In the right hands a long history is a gift, not a shackle.
You say Cap is Cap…But we've had how many characters in the suit? 5? 6? A reboot isn't needed to evolve characters…Quite the opposite I think.
If you look at DC, I think you could call the first Crisis a success…And maybe the NEW52 accomplished some things, but it was hardly flawless. What about the Zero Hours that happened in between? What a mess…My point is a reboot is not necessarily a good thing.
@bub: Cap IS still Cap. You really don't hear much discussion about a fan's favorite Cap like you would with Flash or Green Lantern – heck, there are probably many current Cap fans who don't even realize how many iterations Cap has gone through, with maybe the exception of Bucky. And I'm not necessarily saying that a full reboot is a good idea; I'm just saying that it's about the only thing that would really excite Marvel fans. As it is, it's the same old, same old. Cap's going to fight Red Skull or Batroc or Crossbones, or someone tied to a current character, because no one's going to create a new character that potentially becomes the next Wolverine and not see a dime for it. I think at some point, you have to accept that that's Marvel – if you don't like it now, you're probably not ever going to, so best to move along.
Clearshades says:
What would excite me? Marvel seems to be integrating three "worlds" (1) X-men (2) Avengers, which seem to include all other of Earth's heroes (3) Cosmic heroes. I agree with the statements that I've read in interviews with the editors of Marvel that this is something of a natural progression. What I'd like to see is an emergence of a 4th group in Marvel: Magic. We're starting to see it with Dr. Strange and Journey into Mystery, but there is a wealth of characters based on magic in Marvel history, a wealth of writers out there who write solid modern fantasy, and a rise of acceptance in modern world + magic for the generation raised on Harry Potter. That seems to be a fertile ground that Marvel is simply not exploiting that they could and it would not feel like "another X, Spider, Avenging, etc." kind of book.
cjkarr says:
I'm moderately annoyed by this because it seems like things are shaking up far too frequently. I don't feel like I've had a chance to settle down and enjoy any decently-sized Marvel arc without it some massive company-wide crossover Changing Everything Yet Again.
The closest I've gotten to a decently-sized story in a single book in recent memory was the Dark Angel Saga in Uncanny X-Force. I'd love to have spent more time with the post-Schism X-books before AvX effectively rendered that moot.
player1 says:
I'm ready, and so are the franchises and creators.
As much as I may rebel against the banners, it's actually making the shortbox-to-longbox filing much easier. I just move chunks of stuff, up to a certain event's "line in the sand" by how it's banner'd now. Makes it much easier to make room in the current reading boxes and find stuff in the "I thought I'd get back to this someday" stack in the closet.
The title of this event does remind of Brian Regan's bit about the eye doctor, though: They cross… Now! NOW! THEN!
Ali Colluccio (@WonderAli) says:
High five, Jimski!
theWillingwell says:
That Roadkill T-shirt babe on the right is HOT!
What would excite me is a singular title, published weekly.
Would love to read a single 48 page X-Men title that featured:
a one & done 8 page story (ala the old Classic X-Men backups) followed by
a 20 page Uncanny X-Men issue, and a 20 page X-Factor issue OR
a 20 page Uncanny X-Force issue, and a 20 page New Mutants issue OR
a 20 page Wolverine & the X-Men issue and a 20 page Astonishing X-Men issue OR
a 20 page X-Men issue and a 20 page Generation Hope issue
In fact I would even go so far to say if you started a series like this republishing content from say 3-5 years ago (Whedon's run, Morrison's run) along with the current stuff, you'd get more interest outside the fanbase.
If they could sell a subscription to this for $150 a year ($12.50 per month, 5x the cost of a Time Magazine subscription) I think people would be on board -especially if it included a free electronic version and a POG.
No way in hell your getting 150$ a year, particularly if you are republishing old content. Not if you want new readers anyway.
So you're saying $150 is too expensive for new readers?
I can only speak for myself, but last night I was stuck in one place waiting. I pulled out my iPhone, and bought three .99 cent comics that I was only mildly interested in, as opposed to the 3.99 one that I was much more interested in. I will eventually read that 3.99 book, but not at that price.
I actually think .99 is a good price point for digital goods, be they songs or comics. If you want to make them 15 pages and sell them for 99 cents, I'm cool with that. If you want bundle them in trade sizes and sell arcs just like an album on iTunes, great, I'm on board.
I can't say for certain, but I would expect that this price point would garner far more new readers.
So $150 a year comes down to $12.50 per month or $3.13 per week for a 48-page comic. Of course if a person didn't subscribe and say purchased a single issue at the airport it'd cost like $8. That may dissuade new readers but that's pretty much what the fanbase pays now for two 20 page issues.
On the digital front, I'd argue collecting every X-title (or Batman title, etc.) into a single digest format would be good for
new readers. It would make finding/following stories a lot easier. And having it come out every week as opposed to every month would make it more relevant.
Odds are good that a new reader isn't going to remember to pick up the next issue of something a month later. Engagement is key.
Toshimoko29 says:
I think Marvel earned every "yawn" they received because of the way they spun this event/non-event. Combine the tiny bit of information they provided in EW with the layers of bullshit about how this was so different from what DC did, and it really came across to me as a huckster type of move. I am certain that there will be at least some good books as a result of this shuffling around, but the way they have handled the announcements so far… just awful. Why didn't they just wait to do a big announcement at SDCC?
This IS way different than what DC did. I just don't get why people are drawing a correlation to continuity wipe a new branding banner. What am I missing here?
Urthona says:
Jim, while I didn't go to the trouble of posting "meh", I certainly thought it. Big time.
I feel like you're blaming me for not being excited, like I'm some jaded old numb reader (only the middle adjective is true!). I don't know what to say. I'm buying (and am excited by) as many or more comics than I ever was, but definitely Marvel has been losing me lately, is that my fault? I don't think I'm bored by Marvel because of me. Half of my pull list is still super heroes. I used to read Avengers but fell off because Bendis made me not care. I used to read FF but I found the group of kids really annoying and fell off. Overall, Hickman doesn't float my boat the way he does others. Hated Pax Romana. Bought Shield as a trade and thought it was ok but didn't knock my socks off. I fell off of Captain America after 100 odd issues, just felt like I'd soaked up all I could.
Rememder is pretty cool. I loved Brother Voodoo but it got canceled. Marvel canceled Alpha Flight, another book I liked. Both books felt fresh to me.
This week's POTW was "Fury". Like Ron, Conor, and Josh, I love this book and am excited about that. So it's not the publisher that's the problem for me.
I guess I'm excited when I've got a good book in my hands. If Marvel NOW! makes that happen, awesome. But that will be due to the Creators' work, not the marketing or editorial staff.
FWIW, I'm loving Before Watchmen right now. Comics blogspot had an interesting article how those books are about the people, not just the custume. Maybe Marvel needs a dose of that?
FWIW2 – I was really excited for the Johns/Lee Justice League, and dropped that after 7 or 8 issues. So even when I do excited by the hype, it doesn't always work out.
FWIW3 – But you're right. I try to post positive things to little read books like Bomb Queen and Lone Ranger, rather than post negative things to the latest event book. So much good stuff. And I figure that even if I don't like something, doesn't mean it might not be great for others, particular kids just entering the hobby.
greendart says:
My biggest problem is that this is yet another relaunch/reboot. Take the X-men for instance. None of the set up have been given a chance to breath or really grow. First they're living in San Francisco and there's 12 episodes of set up about they're business they're and its super green and they have the kids living in the city with the adult x-men. Then they're living on Utopia. Then the split. and now Uncanny is being cancelled some 20 odd issues after it was cancelled? and this will be the 3rd volume of New Avengers in the last 5 years right? What makes them think this time it will be more successful than the last time?
Metamorphic says:
What would excite me? Two things.
The first is variety. That's something I gained from the new 52. I would have never thought I'd love books like Animal Man, Swamp Thing, JL Dark, Dial H and OMAC. But I do (well, did in OMACs case). DC took some chances with their relaunch and while some didn't pay off as well as others, kudos for trying. I don't feel that Marvel is really doing that. It seems like it's going to be another batch of X and Avengers titles which don't really hold that much allure for me. Can't blame them though as it's really almost like printing their own money.
The second is to just stop with all the hype and get down to telling the stories. That applies to both companies. But I like the fact that, as of late, DC has been keeping its events "small e" – shorter and confined to fewer titles. Marvel, on the other hand, has been delivering events that I've found seriously lacking. When those events impact the entire universe, you can't feel all too excited when the feeling wasn't there to start with.
As for the question of, "why post yawn or meh", I would say because that is my feeling and choose to share that opinion with others to discuss why they agree or disagree. That's why I come to sites like iFanboy; for the differing views.
stevetwo says:
I remember an interview with Peter David in which he made the comment (as I recall them): "I don't have a problem with Wally West being the Flash. He's had some wonderful stories. I just think there's nothing in that book which you couldn't do with Barry Allen as the hero."
Still waiting on done-in-ones to make their comeback…
Sonicx says:
I am not only NOT ecxited, i get the hell out right now. I cancel all Avengers books after i kicked the whole X-Mess!
i enjoy things like not hypes! Daredevil, Savage Dragon, Planetoid, Glory, Prophet, even Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimates. I just like books who can stand for itself and does not need any event or big tag line where i have to read (or cant stand to not read everything, my fault)
blkassassin106 says:
I'm interested to see why they're making new #1 books if the history will stay the same. Also with books that haven't passed the #10 mark like Scarlet Spider, what will happen to similar books.


text:
The normal to the curve x=a(1+cosθ), y=asinθ at θ always passes through the fixed point (a) (a,0) (b) (0,a) (c) (0,0) (d) (a,a)
Difficulty level: hard
Exp. (a) Given that, x=a(1+cosθ),y=asinθ On differentiating w.r.t. θ, we get dθdx=a(−sinθ) and dθdy=acosθ∴dxdy=sinθ−cosθ∴ Slope of normal =(−cosθ/sinθ)−1 Equation of normal at the given points is y−asinθ=cosθsinθ[x−a(1+cosθ)] It is clear that in the given options, normal passes through the point (a,0).
On which of the following intervals is the function f given by f(x)=x100+sinx−1 is strictly decreasing:
(2π,π)
(0,2π)
Find the equation of the tangent and normal to the parabola y2=4ax at the point (at2,2at)
A lizard, at an initial distance of 21 cm behind an insect, moves from rest with an acceleration of 2 cm/s2 and pursues the insect which is crawling uniformly along a straight line at a speed of 20 cm/s. Then, the lizard will catch the insect after (a) 24 s (b) 21 s (c) 1 s (d) 20 s
If m is the minimum value of k for which the function f(x)=xkx−x2 is increasing in the interval [0,3] and M is the maximum value of f in the interval [0,3] when k=m, then the ordered pair (m,M) is equal to (a) (4,32) (b) (4,33) (c) (3,33) (d) (5,36)
Note 3. Also, from (2) above, we have \[ \begin{aligned} \mathrm{S}_{n}-\mathrm{S}_{n-1} & =\frac{n}{2}[2 a+(n-1) d]-\frac{n-1}{2}[2 a+(n-1-1) d] \\ & =a[n-(n-1)]+\frac{(n-1)}{2} d[n-(n-2)] \\ & =a+\frac{(n-1)}{2} d \times 2=a+(n-1) d=n \text {th term } \end{aligned} \] Hence, Tn=Sn−Sn−1 Ex. 11. Find the sum of (i) 20 terms, (ii) n terms of the progression 1,3,5,7,9,
Case-Study 3 The graph given above showing the demand and supply curves of a commodity, which are linear. When the price of the commodity was ₹4000 per unit, Gulati \& Sons sold 20 units every month and when price dropped to ₹ 1000 per unit Gulati \& Sons sold 120 units per month. When price was ₹4000 per unit, 200 units were available per month for sale and when price was ₹1000 per unit only 50 units remained. Based on the above information, answer the following questions: (i) The demand function is
D(x)=30x−4600
D(x)=4600−30x
D(x)=35x+4500
7. If y=axax…to∞, prove that : \[ \frac{d y}{d x}=\frac{y^{2} \log y}{x[1-y(\log x)(\log y)]} \]
=251232m2=(251232×100×100)(mx2∴ The cost of painting =₹(251232×100×100×1005)=₹24640. Example 8. A right circular cylinder just encloses a sphere of xadius o (shown in the adjoining figure). Find: (i) surface area of the sphere (ii) inner curved surface area of the cylinder (iii) ratios of the areas obtained in (i) and (ii). Solution. (i) Surface area of sphere =4πr2

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


1) Facebook privacy default settings, and how they've changed over time, in convenient chart form. I have a FB account, but I never put anything there I wouldn't put on my main blog.
2) Some folks are still claiming that health care reform will not save any money, and that the claimed savings are the result of budgetary gimmicks. That's not true, and here's why.
3) Paging David Prill! David Prill to the white courtesy phone, please!
4) The July 1690 issue of Cosmopolitan.
5) What you see here is a Men's Room at the Hilton, and I don't know if I could pee here.
6) Is "indie" authorship finally coming into its own? I'm not ready to go direct-to-Kindle, but it's still an option. The sad(ish) thing is that I don't have an extensive backlog of unpublished novels; I cut my teeth writing spec screenplays. Personally, I'm sure as hell not ready to give up on traditional print publishing. Sales of Kindle editions might be profitable, but it's still a small pond. Growing, but still small. I want my book to reach as many readers as possible.
7) The Onion on childhood obesity.
Kolchak and Minuteman, together at last!
I think it's far better to keep focused on print for novels for about ten years, especially if you've already broken in. A few new guys might break into print via e-publishing (I think the guy who wrote Infected did something like that via podcasting).
RPG publishing has already moved largely to ebooks for anyone other than established companies and writers.
And I think comics will be the next ones to see a big move to e-versions as tablets come down in price over the next few years. Indie comics probably ought to start seriously going that way now.
I think it's all very basic bottom line stuff. If you have small print runs (like in RPGs and indie comics) or print on high quality paper (RPGs and comics and hardbacks) and definitely if you print in color (comics) the cost of the printing gets atrocious — especially after you take out the cost of shipping, warehousing, the retailer's cut, and distributors cut.
On my little RPG publishing venture the printing costs would be half of my take — and that's before paying for art (I handled everything else).
RPG books are damn expensive, too, and many gamers don't want to pay even a break-even price. There's a lot of art and layout to be done.
For me, it's still unclear how many of these ebooks are being read. People are impulse-buying quite a few, but are they carving out the time to read them all, too? At this point, I need people to read my work and recommend it. I want as many readers as I can get, and that road runs through NY.
Since I picked up the iPad last month I've finished five books. I figure people with with pure eReaders read even more.
But there might also be more buying and stocking up. I've got a longish list of books ready when I finish the next one.
However, I've got a stack of unfinished paperbacks too.
For RPGs there's a whole bunch of buying and just reading or just skimming for the entire market! But that applies equally to print.
On a different note: How do you like your iPad? My son has been begging for one.
But I'm also kind of the perfect market for one. I read regular books, comic books and pdfs of RPG books — and the color stuff turns out very nice. Vastly superior to reading on a computer or laptop.
Since I read at night in bed with my wife asleep the built-in nightlight is great.
I've also found it handy as an email checker and web browser for when I'm lying around.
Or if I'm in the process of going to sleep and have an idea that I'm worried about forgetting I'll just turn it on and taps in a few quick notes in the notepad feature. I used to try and do the notepad and pen by bed thing, but fumbling in the dark doesn't work, wife steals all the pens, and those little pens with the lights built in don't work very well.
I think I'd wake up divorced if I went to bed with a machine for checking email. I'm obsessive about that enough as it is.
The only sad thing about the iPad is that iBookstore doesn't carry Random House books, so they don't have mine. Someday, maybe.
My wife can't comment since she's even more obsessed!
I do all my book reading in Kindle since it's multi-platform and I much prefer the Amazon store organization, other recommended books features, and slew of reviews from fans, Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly.
The Publisher's Weekly starred books have been really good predictors of books I'll finish and go on to but more books from the same author.
Their first claim is, "If you believe everything else we say (ie, that the health care bill will not increase spending, then the health care bill will not increase spending." Okay, fair enough, but it just begs the question.
Their second claim appears to be, "This is a valid criticism, but it's not, alone, enough to offset the savings in the CBO report." Again, fair enough, but not a very impressive defense.
Their third claim: I've never entirely understood the claim of double-counting, and don't have any rebuttal, here.
Their fourth claim: They say that "the vast majority" of provisions that cut the cost of Medicare have been enacted in the last 20 years. I'll take their word for it. But the criticism is not that there are some generic provisions, but that these specific ones are politically untenable. Lots of relatively minor changes might reduce the cost of medicare. That doesn't rebut the idea that specific, drastic cuts to medicare won't be politically untenable, and a strict argument based on "number of bills that reduce a cost" is pretty obviously flawed.
Their fifth claim: The SGR is already broken. True, but at least potentially the new healthcare bill will result in more government reimbursements based on it than the status quo. (In as much as people ignore the mandate and pay the penalty, then go to a doctor and let the government pay for it).
Their sixth claim: Seems pretty arguable either way.
Their seventh claim: Seems fair to me.
Claim 1: I think you have that wrong there. The claim they're addressing is that HCR does not really reduce the deficit because it hits us with ten years of taxes but only six years of gov't programs. That's not true, but if it were true then there wouldn't be any savings in the second decade, when you have ten years of both. The CBO is saying that there will be more savings in the second ten years.
Claim 2: They're not exactly saying it's a valid crit but it doesn't offset expected savings. Historically, there's a strong relationship between reducing health care costs and increasing wages. Reducing health care costs (which are subsidized by the gov't by being tax exempt) will direct funds to the workers directly, and the workers will pay taxes on that compensation.
Those paid taxes will increase the deficit reduction of the HCR law, but HCR was written to save money without it.
Claim 4: The CBO isn't saying that Congress is willing to pass small reductions but not big ones (ie: the reductions of Medicare payments to doctors). What they're saying is that it's a flawed law that would reduce doctors' compensation below their expenses. As a result, Congress won't implement it. I reduces spending, yeah, but if it makes doctors drop their Medicare patients, then it's no good (which in media terms makes it "politically untenable").
Claim 5: The objection they're addressing here is that the budgetary effects of that flawed law mentioned in #4 should be added to Obamacare. It doesn't make sense because Obama's HCR package is separate from that decade old problem, but that's the only way critics can attack the deficit reduction the law enacts.
BTW, there is no "let the government pay for it." People who pay the penalty until they need care will be paying private insurance premiums to cover their medical bills. There is no mechanism to ignore the mandate and then send a bill to the tax payers.
Gotta go. Family's stirring. Let me know if that's too rough-drafty to make sense.
When I was a kid, we already had that peer pressure thing to "help" fat kids lose weight. And punching and kicking were also involved. Also, "swirlies" in the school restrooms.


Collins Booksellers - Keeper by Mal Peet, 9781486223671. Buy this book online.
Paul Faustino, South America's top sports writer, sits opposite the man they call El Gato ? the Cat ? the world's greatest goalkeeper. On the table between them stands the World Cup. In the hours that follow, El Gato tells his incredible story ? how he, a poor logger's son, learns to become a World Cup-winning goalkeeper so good he is almost unbeatable. And the most remarkable part of this story is the man who teaches him ? the mysterious Keeper, who haunts a football pitch at the heart of the claustrophobic forest.


text:
The Enabling Minority Language Engineering Corpus
Enabling Minority Language Engineering
the Emille project
W0037: The EMILLE/CIIL Corpus
Emille Project
Researcher Andew HardieDepartment of Linguistics and M.E.L.,Lancaster University,Email: a.hardie@lancaster.ac.uk
monolingual, parallel and annotated corpora.
text_and_corpus_linguistics
corpus monolingual corpora
corpus parallel corpus
corpus annotated component includes the Urdu monolingual and parallel corpora
A set of corpora for fifteen languages of South Asia. The corpus includes a re-coded version of the Central Institute for Indian Language (CIIL)'s corpus collection. Data includes monolingual written data, monolingual spoken data, and parallel data. Total size is 97 million words.
The EMILLE/CIIL Corpus (ELRA-W0037) is distributed free of charge for use in non-profit-making research only.
Panjabi Punjabi
ELDA http://www.elda.org/For more information on the Emille project: http://bowland-files.lancs.ac.uk/corplang/emille/ For more information on the Emille project: http://bowland-files.lancs.ac.uk/corplang/emille/
consortium of The University of Lancaster
The University of Sheffield and the Central Institute of Indian Languages
Mysore,consortium of The University of Lancaster, The University of Sheffield and the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore,consortium of The University of Lancaster, The University of Sheffield and the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore
developing_technologies the project had a pressing need to develop software to map these many font-based representations of the writing systems used by South Asian languages to a common standard: in the case of EMILLE, Unicode. ELRA-W0038 The EMILLE Lancaster Corpus.
The spoken corpus data was largely gathered from the BBC's domestic South Asian language radio broadcasts, primarily the BBC Asian Network
Alongside 94 million words of monolingual written data, the corpus contains 200,000 words of parallel text in English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.
The EMILLE monolingual corpora contain approximately 92,799,000 words (including 2,627,000 words of transcribed spoken data for Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu).
The parallel corpus consists of 200,000 words of text in English and its accompanying translations in Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati and Urdu.
The annotated component includes the Urdu monolingual and parallel corpora annotated for parts-of-speech, together with twenty written Hindi corpus files annotated to show the nature of demonstrative use. All other components are annotated at the sentence level. The corpus is marked up using CES-compliant SGML and encoded using Unicode.
97 million words.
approximately 92,799,000 words (including 2,627,000 words of transcribed spoken data for Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu).
may be installed
UTF-16 encoded XML/SGML files
http://bowland-files.lancs.ac.uk/corplang/emille/
fourteen South Asian languages
All rights in the EMILLE Processed Material, including copyright, which are not granted to the Licensee in this Agreement, are retained by the Text Providers.


text:
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Thomas Comma (24 minutes), an animated film based on a story by poet Martha Baird, is the charming, humorous, and also sophisticated adventure of a lonely comma looking for the right sentence--that which truly represents him in this world. This 2D film will not only delight and inspire children and adults alike, but also encourage and educate them. "We're all of us like commas," wrote Ms. Baird, "looking for the right sentence." Following the film, Ken Kimmelman, Emmy Award winning filmmaker (Imageryfilm.com), gives an exciting talk on the making of the film and its meaning.


text:
Title: Walt Whitman to William Harrison Riley, [18 March 1879]
Source: The Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Transcribed from digital images or a microfilm reproduction of the original item. For a description of the editorial rationale behind our treatment of the correspondence, see our statement of editorial policy.
Contributors to digital file: Alicia Bones, Grace Thomas, Anthony Dreesen, Kevin McMullen, Nicole Gray, and Kirsten Clawson
Cite this page: "Walt Whitman to William Harrison Riley, [18 March 1879]." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, and Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 15 January 2021. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Camden New Jersey U S America1
My dear Wm Harrison Riley
Your letter has reach'd me here & I thank you for your affectionate warmth & appreciation.
I have long wanted to do myself the pleasure of sending a book of mine to Mr Ruskin, & I have sent one—also a couple of photographs—directed to him, to your care, by the same mail with this—same address—
Please send me word soon as they reach you & are delivered to Mr R—
1. The date is established by an entry in Whitman's Commonplace Book. Riley was an ardent young Englishman who addressed Whitman as "My dear Friend and Master" on March 5. Twelve years earlier he had found a copy of Leaves of Grass "and saw a Revelation. . . . In all my troubles and successes I have been strengthened by your divine teachings." Riley wanted a copy of Leaves of Grass for Ruskin, who, upon reading a few extracts from Whitman's poems, pronounced them "glorious": "He is a stern critic, and as honest as God or a tree." On April 2 Riley noted receipt of the book and photographs, and on April 4 he quoted from a note sent to him by Ruskin: "I am glad to know that I can give some pleasure to such a man." Although Ruskin did not write to the poet, Whitman informed the New York Sun on April 15 that "he did not feel at liberty to divulge the exact contents of the letter." See also the Camden Daily Post of May 12 and the letter from Whitman to John Burroughs of February 21, 1880 (Whitman's Commonplace Book, Charles E. Feinberg Collection of the Papers of Walt Whitman, 1839–1919, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.). [back]


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Home » News » We will prepare hard for 2019 World Cup, Falcons' coach assures
We will prepare hard for 2019 World Cup, Falcons' coach assures
Super Falcons' Head Coach, Thomas Dennerby, says Nigeria will work to prepare hard and take it one match at a time at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup finals in France.
The African champions were on Saturday evening drawn with hosts France, Norway and Korea Republic in Group A of the 24-team competition.
Super Falcons
The draw was held at a colourful ceremony inside the La Seine Musicale on the River Seine in Paris.
"There is no easy group here. I am okay with the draw because I always knew that we will have to play (against) the best teams. That is what you do at the World Cup.
"The French team is, of course, world-class, and I know we would have to fight very hard against them.
"The Koreans are very technical and have pace, but we will confront them with our physical strength, ability and pace of our own and we have a great chance in there.
"I know the Norway team, more than they know us or can hope to know us. At the end of the day, it would come down to preparations.
"We must prepare very hard and then take it one match at a time during the finals," the Swede said at the mixed zone which followed the draw ceremony on Saturday.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/weird-libertadores-final-in-madrid-no-handicap-for-river-says-bocas-tevez/
"If you have to make real impact at the FIFA World Cup, you have to beat the strong teams. That is what we have to prepare for.
"I am looking ahead to an interesting tournament in France in the summer of next year," Dennerby added.
Also, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, said: "It is a draw that tells us that we have to do everything we can to prepare the team well for the competition.
"Presently, we have lined up two tournaments in China and Cyprus for the team, and we are talking with a few countries and organisers for matches and tournaments.
"We will give the Head Coach and his team the necessary support to prepare the team adequately for the competition."
Speaking also, former Super Falcons' star Mercy Akide-Udoh, who attended the ceremony as a FIFA Ambassador for Women's Football, said it was all up to the NFF.
"This is a tough one for us. But I think the Federation should do everything to ensure adequate preparation of the team."
The 8th FIFA Women's World Cup finals will take place in nine French cities between June 7 and July 7.
Nigeria's first match of the finals will be against Norway in Reims on June 8, before they face Korea Republic in Grenoble on June 12.
Their last match of the group phase is against hosts France in Rennes on June 17.
The opening match of the tournament is between France and Korea Republic, and will hold at the Parc des Princes in Paris on 7th June 2019.
The draw was conducted by FIFA Legends Alex Scott and Louis Saha.
A dazzling line-up of assistants, including Didier Deschamps, Marie Bochet, Kaká, Cindy Cone, Michael Essien, Aya Miyama and Steffi Jones, lent a helping hand in the draw.


2 Mark in your calendar to email everyone in a couple of weeks with a link to your Christmas details. It won't hurt to get clients looking at your website either!
itunes, filesharing, bittorrent – but what is legal?
Google Images- easily accessible but these images belong to other peoples websites and are covered by copyright!
- all legal stock photos download with small fees per image.
Bit Torrent program - software programs that download books, movies and images of files shared by other members. The technology downloads small bits of the file from multiple other users. Before using a bit torrent program you search and download the torrent (effectively like an address) and open it in the bit torrent program. Files are likely to be illegally shared, and can potentially contain harmful malware! But there are also legal torrents available.
Apple iTunes Store- purchase and download music, music videos, television shows, applications, iPod games, audiobooks, podcasts, feature length films, and ringtones. The iTunes Store is owned and controlled by Apple, largely for use with their products and software. Ie iphones, ipads, ipods, apple computers etc.
Google Apps Store and Blackberry Apps Store - download free or purchase applications for Google's Android operating system used on many smart phones, similarly for Blackberry phones. Essentially the same as Apples iTunes Store.
books.google.com- Google Books allows for free download of public domain books in several formats (PDF and epub), or to view a snippet of copyright books.
The advent of the desktop PC was supposed to herald in a new era of working less and having more free time. I'm not so sure!


Moscow is a place that inspires creative minds. Soft snow billowing down the grounds of the red square, the towering walls of the Kremlin, the beautiful architecture, gorgeous churches… They all attract people from around the world to see what the Russian capital has in store for them. To me Moscow had a fairyland like charm to it. You will have to read more to find out why!
Saint Petersburg isn't the capital but it is probably one of the most visited places in Russia after Moscow. The architecture of the city is reminiscent of what you would find in Europe. This city is at its best in spring with its lush green gardens and beautiful parks. In winter the museums, churches and warm cozy restaurants draw your attention.
Murmansk is the Northernmost city of the world. It quite literally lies in the Arctic circle. Life in the Arctic is fun to say the least. Polar days, polar nights, Northern Lights, reindeer, huskies and foot deep snow tends to be part of your day. Living in Murmansk is an adventure of lifetime. One we definitely will never forget.
Sochi is a place where you can ski on the mountain slopes and swim in the sea all on the same day. While the temperatures drop considerably during winter which makes swimming impossible, the mountains remain capped with snow in summer. This makes Sochi a skiers paradise all year round.
Salym was an adventure of a lifetime. I had the opportunity to work at a remote location in the middle of Siberia for 4 months. This came with its own challenges and thrills. From bearing a frigid -42 deg C to the most delicious salmon ever, Salym never ceased to surprise me. Unfortunately I did not get to wander as much as I would have liked, but the camp was large enough to satiate my wanderlust temporarily.


Drywalling and partitions have emerged as the latest focus point of technologically-sound and modern homes and commercial spaces. Major developers, architects and designers use these partitions to divide large spaces and add a better layout and form to the areas. We offer the best plasterboard that is suitable for residential and commercial projects. They meet the highest levels of thermal and acoustic insulation and are fire and moisture resistant. They meet all the statutory functional requirements like fire ratings, are high-impact resistant and can also support the loads of wall cabinets and shelves.
Our drywalling & partitions are heavy-duty and it is very easy to install mechanical and electrical services within these well-designed and structured dry walls. Interior layouts can be changed within a very short time and you do not have to deal with any debris and concrete dust. Thabinto Projects (Pty) Ltd in Johannesburg , Gauteng offers the highest-quality, cost-effective drywall partition across South Africa.


text:
package com.cra.figaro.language

  /**
  * Trait of elements which accept learnable parameters.
  * Parameterized elements are compound elements whose outcome is determined by a learnable parameter.
  */

trait Parameterized[T] extends Element[T] with HasDensity[T] {
  /**
  * The parameter for this element.
  */
  val parameter: Parameter[_]

  def distributionToStatistics(distribution: Stream[(Double, T)]): Seq[Double]
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
COME ON OVER
Syria Tells U.S. to Come Bomb ISIS
Syria is totally on board with the idea of American airstrikes against ISIS in its own territory. Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal Mekdad, told NBC News that the United States and Syria are "fighting the same enemy," making the country's president, Bashar al-Assad, a "natural ally" for the U.S.Mekdad says the Syrian administration has "no reservations whatsoever" about airstrikes in the country, but says the U.S. should coordinate logistically with Syria before launching any strikes so that "there should be no mistakes." Meanwhile, at home in the U.S., legal experts are questioning President Obama's use of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force against al Qaeda for the new ISIS war, even as Secretary of State John Kerry announced that a "broad coalition" of nations—including ten Arab ones—will help the U.S. in the fight against ISIS.
Read it at NBC News


My current research focuses on the development of computational methods for building models of representational spaces. We assume that distributed population responses encode information. Within a cortical field, a broad range of stimuli or cognitive states can be represented as different patterns of response. We use fMRI to measure these patterns of response and multivariate pattern (MVP) analysis to decode their meaning. We are currently developing methods that make it possible to decode an individual's brain data using MVP classifiers that are based on other subjects' data. We use a complex, natural stimulus to sample a broad range of brain representational states as a basis for building high-dimensional models of representational spaces within cortical fields. These models are based on response tuning functions that are common across subjects. Initially, we demonstrated the validity of such a model in ventral temporal cortex. We are working on building similar models in other visual areas and in auditory areas. We also plan to investigate representation of social cognition using this same conceptual framework.
[Hax06] Haxby, J. V. (2006). Fine structure in representations of faces and objects. Nature Neuroscience , 9, 1084-6.
[lorbert2013collaborative] Lorbert, A., Guntupalli, J. S. , Eis, D. J., Haxby, J. V. and Ramadge, P. J. (2013). Collaborative denoising of multi-subject fMRI data. In (Eds.) Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), 2013 IEEE International Conference on .
[CH10a] Connolly, A. C. and Haxby, J. V. (2010). Similarity-based pattern analysis reveals an emergent taxonomy of animal species along the object vision pathway. Rovereto Workshop on Concepts Actions and Objects 2010 - CAOS10, Rovereto, Italy. Poster .
[CH10b] Connolly, A. C. and Haxby, J. V. (2010). Neural similarity reveals taxonomic organization for animate categories in object-vision pathway. Organization of Human Brain Mapping Annual Meeting, Barcelona, Spain. Poster .
[CH10c] Connolly, A. C. and Haxby, J. V. (2010). Similarity-based multi-voxel pattern analysis reveals an emergent taxonomy of animal species along the object vision pathway. Vision Sciences Society 10th Annual Meeting, Naples, FL. Poster .
[NOH+OHBM15] Nastase, S. A. , Visconti di Oleggio Castello, M., Haxby, J. V. , Gobbini, M. I. and Halchenko, Y. O. (2015). Clustering cortical searchlights based on shared representational geometry. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Honolulu, HI .


18:  * An interface used by TableSchema objects.
24:      * Get the name of the table.
31:      * Add a column to the table.
38:      *   one of CakePHP's abstract types.
39:      * - `length` The length of the column.
41:      *   for float and decimal types.
42:      * - `default` The default value of the column.
43:      * - `null` Whether or not the column can hold nulls.
44:      * - `fixed` Whether or not the column is a fixed length column.
45:      *   This is only present/valid with string columns.
46:      * - `unsigned` Whether or not the column is an unsigned column.
47:      *   This is only present/valid for integer, decimal, float columns.
52:      * - `comment` The comment for the column.
55:      * @param array|string $attrs The attributes for the column.
61:      * Get column data in the table.
63:      * @param string $name The column name.
64:      * @return array|null Column data or null.
69:      * Returns true if a column exists in the schema.
71:      * @param string $name Column name.
77:      * Remove a column from the table schema.
79:      * If the column is not defined in the table, no error will be raised.
87:      * Get the column names in the table.
94:      * Returns column type or null if a column does not exist.
96:      * @param string $name The column to get the type of.
102:      * Sets the type of a column.
104:      * @param string $name The column to set the type of.
105:      * @param string $type The type to set the column to.
111:      * Returns the base type name for the provided column.
123:      * Missing columns are nullable.
125:      * @param string $name The column to get the type of.
126:      * @return bool Whether or not the field is nullable.
132:      * and the values the database type they have.
139:      * Get a hash of columns and their default values.
146:      * Sets the options for a table.
148:      * Table options allow you to set platform specific table level options.
149:      * For example the engine type in MySQL.
151:      * @param array $options The options to set, or null to read options.
157:      * Gets the options for a table.
159:      * Table options allow you to set platform specific table level options.
160:      * For example the engine type in MySQL.
162:      * @return array An array of options.


In 2003, the conceptual artist Jonathon Keats sold his brain. Or rather, he sold options to buy his neurons in lots of one million immediately after his death. That is, to buy not the physical bits of brain, but the information they represent. (He had previously copyrighted the totality of his thought as a sculpture he made by thinking.) According to Wikipedia, because the act of licensing his thought would itself constitute thought, in a Cartesian sense, the licensing would allow him, in a philosophical sense, to survive his own death. The BBC article cited by Wikipedia, on the other hand, never mentions Descartes, and suggests that the piece was about intellectual property law. The whole thing, in other words, was a clever and incontestably entertaining idea that may or may not have amounted to anything, but which was, in any case, thought-provoking.
This month sees the publication of Mr. Keats' The Book of the Unknown, which purports to be a book of fables drawn from Jewish folklore, based in particular on the idea that in every generation are 36 anonymous saints for whose sake God sustains the world. Mr. Keats establishes this idea with a mock-foreword by an academic mock-author (Jay Katz, Ph.D.), in a Princess Bride sort of vein, about finding, among buried papers excavated from the ruins of a lost German synagogue, the records of a rogue cabalist who blasphemously wrote down the true stories of some of these 36.
There follow 12 fairy tales about characters named, in the Hebrew fashion of using letters for numbers, Alef the Idiot, Beit the Liar, Gimmel the Gambler, and so on, through Yod-Beit the Rebel. Some of the saints, like the long-suffering Alef, held in contempt by his brainy wife, or Dalet the Thief, who steals only just enough to keep the other townspeople working, are clearly virtuous, while others, like Gimmel the Gambler or Vov the Whore, are not; what's common to all of them is some crucial but generally overlooked role in the working of the world. ("Saintliness, unlike heroism, is quotidian.") Heyh the Clown, for example, a poor little girl sold to a circus for a sack of potatoes, seems to make a terrible performer because she's so clumsy, but before long people are coming to the circus just to watch her fall down. In the end, she marries the king.
The only real sticking point is that a book so explicitly founded on a high-concept premise must ultimately succeed or fail, not by its other virtues, but only by whether it fulfills that premise—and, in this case, it's hard to say. Are Mr. Keats' characters saints, or are they not? Does the well-worn idea of the invisible saints serve to anchor and unify these fables, or is it merely a gimmick? Perhaps The Book of the Unknown is simply meant to make us wonder. It is, at least, entertaining—and certainly thought-provoking.
Will Heinrich is the author of The King's Evil (Scribner). He can be reached at books@observer.com.
SEE ALSO: New Cheap City!


Conveyors | Explosion Protection | Applications | REMBE Inc.
The risk of combustion may be reduced by the conveyors themselves.
Open, non-encased belt conveyors are considered the least critical, since the conveyed material usually does not become airborne and does not have any direct contact with hot surfaces.
Screw conveyors may be handled differently since they can be converted into their own isolation device with the help of expert guidance. For this purpose, a certain flight may be removed from the auger. This new empty space automatically fills during normal operation. In the event of an explosion, the conveyed product will fill the entire cross-sectional area and form a plug. This plug will then function as an isolation device since it prevents propagation of the explosion into connected facility equipment. The feasibility of this measure heavily depends on the flow of the material and the installation length of the auger.
Trough conveyors: Here, the open top section prevents the ability for the product to fully fill the entire cross-section. This usually leads to the need for explosion protection equipment such as explosion vents or chemical barriers. A cost effective, maintenance-free explosion vent, installed on top of the trough screw conveyer, will open when explosion pressure reaches a predefined level, allowing for a safe release of the explosion. Alternatively, chemical barriers are controlled by pressure or infrared detectors which detect a resulting explosion and trigger the extinguishing agent. The extinguishing agent, which is then discharged, will cool and stop the explosion from fully developing.
Does your production facility have the following conveyors and need expert consulting regarding Explosion Protection?
Call us, we will gladly assist you.
The protection of individual system components is only as good as the protection of the entire system. To insure you have a safe and economical Explosion Protection plan, your total system must be examined and protected.
Pay particular attention that there are sufficient isolation devices. Also, guard against "over engineering".
We offer you comprehensive protection plans and on-site consulting, so you can implement organizational measures to achieve a greater degree of safety.


text:
CA Assembly Passes Police Use of Force Legislation
Police Use of Force Bill Moves to Critical Floor Vote After Law Enforcement Removes Opposition
Police Use of Force Bill Moves to Critical Floor Vote
Garners endorsement of Governor, Senate and Assembly Leaders
Governor Signs Ten Weber Bills into Law
SACRAMENTO – Governor Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown signed the following bills authored by Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-79) into law. More information on these bills is available at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
AB 1215: Mental Health Services Act. This bill would require a county mental health program applying for state funding under the Mental Health Services Act to consider research of the brain and its physical and biochemical processes that may have broad applications for treating mental illness.
Career Educator Named "Woman of the Year
Assemblymember Shirley Weber has named long-time educator and retired Crawford High School Vice Principal Debra Maxi her 2018 Woman of the Year.
Maxie is a graduate of Lincoln University of Missouri where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education, a minor in Psychology and a Master's degree in Guidance and Counseling. She earned her Administrative Credential from San Diego State University.
Assemblymember Weber Nominates Spring Valley Dessert Shop "Small Business of the Year"
Weber Names Career Navy Officer Veteran of the Year
Assembly Public Safety Committee Passes Bill Giving Female Prisoners Privacy Protections from Male Guards
SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Committee on Public Safety passed AB 2550, legislation authored by Assemblymember Shirley N. Weber (D-San Diego) that prohibits male correctional officers from pat-down searching of female prisoners or entering into an area where incarcerated women are in a state of undress. The bill passed with unanimous bipartisan support.
Weber noted that many of our prison policies were designed with men in mind and do not reflect women's needs or their experiences of trauma.


text:
Mark Ellison KC is a British barrister and member of QEB Holllis Whiteman chambers.

Career
Having gained his LLB at the University of Wales, he was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1979. Specialising in fraud, he acted for both defence and prosecution in a number of high-profile serious fraud cases, including the Guinness share-trading fraud and Blue Arrow; and corruption involving North Sea oil and Channel Tunnel contracts.

In 1994 he was invited to become an HM Treasury counsel, and was appointed First Senior Treasury Counsel from 2006 to 2008. During this time he advised and acted in: complex serious fraud; corruption in public and private bodies; third party disclosure; trial secrecy; press freedom issue; admissibility and gathering of foreign evidence, including intercept and official secrets act; advice on prosecuting members of political parties for donation offences; advice on criminal law issues connected to the alleged illegality of the Iraq War. He has also worked for clients with regards professional practise and disciplinary issues in front of the General Medical Council.

Notable cases

Stephen Lawrence

In 2012, Ellison successfully led and secured the first convictions of any of Stephen Lawrence's murderers, through the convictions for murder of Gary Dobson and David Norris. Despite inquiries by both Scotland Yard and the Independent Police Complaints Commission ruling that there was no new evidence to warrant further investigation, after discussions with Dame Doreen Lawrence, Home Secretary Theresa May commissioned Ellison to review Scotland Yard's investigations into alleged police corruption.

The report, was presented to Parliament by May on 6 March 2014. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said the report, which has prompted an inquiry into undercover policing, was "devastating". Ellison's report also showed that there was substantial evidence linking an alleged corrupt police officer with involvement in the murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan.

Notable appointments
Ellison was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2008. Ellison is a past chairman of Bar Council's remuneration and terms of work committee, and a Bar Council member of the Criminal Justice Council.

References

External links
Stephen Lawrence Independent Review

Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Alumni of the University of Wales
Members of Gray's Inn
21st-century King's Counsel
English King's Counsel
Lawyers from London
20th-century English lawyers
21st-century English lawyers
British legal writers
British prosecutors

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Once Upon a Crime (DVD)
Directed by Eugene Levy
Language: Engish
Genres: Comedy
$14.95 $8.97 (40% off)	Buy DVD
Joss Ackland
Caterina Boratto
What do you get when you combine four bumbling American tourists, a $5000 puppy and a dead body? Inspired lunacy starring John Candy (Delirious), James Belushi (Mr. Destiny), Cybill Shepherd (Special Delivery), Sean Young (Fire Birds), Richard Lewis (The Wrong Guys), Ornella Muti (Oscar), Giancarlo Giannini (Seven Beauties), Joss Ackland (White Mischief), Elsa Martinelli (The Indian Fighter) and George Hamilton (Zorro: The Gay Blade). Lewis and Young are two down-and-out Americans attempting to return a lost dog to its Monte Carlo socialite owner for a $5000 reward. But when the owner is murdered, they become the prime suspects. But who's the real killer? The roulette loser (Candy)? The gigolo (Hamilton)? Or could it possibly be... the dog? Once Upon a Crime is the perfect film to see after a brain-taxing day – directed by SCTV comedy legend Eugene Levy.
DVD Extras Include:
KLSC Trailers


text:
Three UN peacekeepers killed, six wounded in attack in Mali
Speed reductions in Swan Hill CBD
Queensland lights up blue for National Corrections Day
$200,000 for cultural tourism
Supporting communities and landowners to grow employment opportunities
Look out for unwanted Mexican grass in Sutherland Shire
Orange Aquatic Centre to host swimming championships and offer free entry on Australia Day
Trump may be banned from 2024 presidential run
John Kaiser wanted on warrant
December 20, 2019 10:54 am AEDTDate Time
Robberies with violence at Maroochydore
Police are seeking assistance to identify a man who was involved in two violent robberies at Maroochydore this morning.
Around 5:30am, a woman was attempting to leave her residence on Pringle Court when she was approached by a man.
The man threatened her with a knife and stole her blue Toyota RAV4, leaving the street in a northerly direction.
Earlier, a man approached a residence on Broadsea Avenue and threatened a resident. When challenged by the male resident, the man left the address.
The resident was not physically injured.
Investigators believe that the two incidents are linked and are looking for a man who is Caucasian in appearance, around 30-years-old with a thin build. He was also wearing a black hat at the time.
Police are appealing for the man, or anyone else who may have information, to come forward.
Pictures: A generic blue Toyota RAV4 and a CCTV image of the man with distinctive leg tattoos.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.
You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.
Tags:Australia, CCTV, charity, community, court, crime, incident, Internet, Maroochydore, police, QLD, Queensland, Queensland Police, tattoo, Toyota, violence, woman
IMF Executive Board Completes First Review under Extended Credit Facility Arrangement for Gambia
The IMF Executive Board decision allows for an immediate disbursement of about US$28.8 million to…
'Advancing dream is about advancing community'
Xavien Johns says he "can't ignore the person on the side of the road who…
Across America, trust is falling apart. Can it be rebuilt?
Trust has so fractured among competing U.S. cultures and communities that millions of Americans do…
$4.8 million infrastructure update to cope with flooding
Joint media release with the Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional…
City2City to go virtual in 2021
The City2City Committee today announced that the 2021 Hume Bank City2City will move to a…
Biden Elevates Development to Heart of Foreign Policy with Power Nomination
The Australian Council for International (ACFID) has commented on the decision by President-elect Biden to…


text:
Thoughts on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards
The telecast of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards concluded a short time ago.
The Hurt Locker won six of the nine awards for which it was nominated including Best Picture and Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. It marks the first time a woman has won in that category.
There weren't any surprises of note. Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for his portrayal of an alcoholic country singer in Crazy Heart. I haven't seen the movie but it reminds me of an updated version of Tender Mercies where Robert Duvall plays an alcoholic country singer. Duvall won a Best Actor trophy for that role more than a quarter century ago. Interestingly, Duvall is also in Crazy Heart. Still, it was nice to see Bridges recognized. He is a vastly underappreciated actor as were his parents whom he thanked posthumously.
Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for The Blind Side. Last night, Bullock was the recipient of the Golden Raspberry Award (or Razzie) for Worst Actress in All About Steve. Bullock accepted the award in person. It marks the first time an actor or actress has won an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year albeit for a different performance. A few years back Halle Berry won a Razzie for her performance in Catwoman and accepted the award in person. The Razzie came four years after she won Best Actress for Monster's Ball.
As widely expected, Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for Inglourious Basterds while Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Precious. I'm not sure what she meant when she said during her acceptance speech, "I would like to thank the Academy for proving that it can be about the performance and not the politics." It could be she was referring to reports about her behavior with regard to promoting the film. But by the time she won the Golden Globe for best supporting actress back in January she was the clear favorite at the Oscars. So methinks she doth protest too much.
Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were not as annoying as I thought they would be. Still, I would have preferred if Neil Patrick Harris had hosted. Harris did host The Tony Awards last June. He opened the Oscars with a comedic musical number.
Most Oscar shows have live performances of the nominees for Best Original Song. But this was absent from this year's Oscar telecast. The music on this year's show was sparse. Aside from the opening number from Harris there was a dance montage for Best Original Score and a performance of the Beatles "In My Life" by James Taylor during the In Memoriam segment. I thought that was particularly unusual. In previous years, the orchestra provides the musical accompaniment to the In Memoriam section as it does for the Grammys and the Emmys. As much as I like Taylor his performance seemed out of place for that particular segment.
I did, however, like the tribute for John Hughes.
There wasn't much in the way of political content this year. Of course, Hollywood is Obama Central so they were comfortably mum. With regard to The Hurt Locker both Bigelow and script writer Mark Boal made a point of giving thanks to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
When The Cove (a film about dolphin hunting in Japan) won for Best Documentary Feature, Ric O'Barry unfurled a banner instructing viewers to text the word "dolphin" the cameras quickly cut away to the audience. I'm not sure what suprises me more. That Fisher Stevens was once Michelle Pfeffer's boyfriend or that is he is now an Academy Award winner (Stevens co-produced the documentary.)
Ben Stiller came out dressed as a Na'vi from Avatar to present the award for Best Makeup. However, contrary to what was reported in USA Today, Stiller wasn't speaking Na'vi he was reciting a Hebrew prayer. This is the second year in a row, Stiller has come out in a funny get up. Last year, he dressed up as a disheveled Joaquin Phoenix on the heels of his infamous appearance with David Letterman.
But perhaps the weirdest moment of the show came at the end of the night was when Tom Hanks came out and instead of naming the ten movies nominated for Best Picture simply announced that The Hurt Locker had won. Bigelow, who had won her Best Director statuette moments earlier, had to scurry back on stage. Not that I minded looking at her. I don't know if she's had plastic surgery done but she looks fantastic at 58. Was she wearing high heels or is she like six foot, three? Either way tonight Kathryn Bigelow stands tall.
Still, if time can't be found to name all ten movies nominated for Best Picture when it comes time to present the award then I think the Motion Picture Academy should reduce it back to five films next year. Paradoxically, expanding the number of films from five to ten actually generated less buzz for most of those movies. The only two movies nominated that I saw were Up and An Education. Yet they merited almost no discussion. It was basically the battle between The Hurt Locker and Avatar and mainly because Bigelow and James Cameron were once married to each other (although they have an amicable relationship.)
The Academy Awards ceremonies have had declining viewership in recent years. I don't know if this year will stem the tide. If not I'd give fresh blood like Neil Patrick Harris a shot or find a way to persuade Billy Crystal to host one more time.
Posted by Aaron Goldstein at Sunday, March 07, 2010
Blogs are so informative where we get lots of information on any topic. Nice job keep it up!!
bizzla said...
James Cameron got screwed over. I mean how can a shitty movie that made 19.3 million dollars win over a very well made movie that made 2 billion? Only when the US is fighting a war in the place where the shitty movie takes place, that's how.
Intellectual Conservative Washington state has lau...
Jaime Escalante, 1930-2010. R.I.P.
Code Pink Disrupts Rove Book Signing
Eric Tunney, 1964-2010. R.I.P.
Mike Lupica Needs to "Stop"
Thoughts on the Terrorist Attack in Moscow
Obama Walked Out on Netanyahu During WH Visit
Something for Jamie Oliver to Chew On
Gloria Estefan Speaks Up For The Ladies in White
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Henry Champ Doesn't Get The Tea Party
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NOW Toronto Columnist Defends Coulter's Banishment
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Pence Pounces on Obama for "Bullying" Israel
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Eating Less Meat Hurts The Poor
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Is ACORN Shutting Down on April 1st?
Some Interesting Thoughts on White Men & Obama
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Obamacare Passes 219-212
Lewis & Carson Lied
Statement from Americans United for Life denouncin...
I Don't Believe John Lewis & Andre Carson
Betrayed by My Own Country
Hillary: Confrontation with Israel "Paying Off"
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Imagine What Would Happen if Health Care Reform Fa...
Alex Chilton,1950-2010. R.I.P.
Herb Cohen,1932-2010. R.I.P.
Thomas Friedman is 100% Wrong About Salam Fayyad
Smoltz Chooses Broadcasting Over Pitching & Politics
Cahill Speaks Out Against Both Obamacare & MassCare
Peter Graves,1926-2010. R.I.P.
Was I Watching a Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Trainin...
How Smart is Obama and is that the Right Question?
An Evening with Toots Thielemans
Has Hillary Given Israel an Ultimatum?
Torii Hunter Drops The Ball
Is Palin The Reason Betty White is Hosting SNL?
Brooks Gets Obama Wrong
Merlin Olsen, 1940-2010. R.I.P.
New Chilean President Greeted With 7.2 Aftershock
Nomar Retires
Corey Haim, 1971-2010. R.I.P.
Willie Davis, 1940-2010. R.I.P.
What Happens When Liberals Speak Kindly of Palin
Biden Condemns Israel Over Settlements
Lindsay Lohan Files The Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Ever
Betty White to Host SNL in May
The Sean Penn Freedom of the Press Award Goes To....
Police Investigate Dehydration Death in UK Hospital
Andrée Peel, 1905-2010. R.I.P.
The Difference between Clinton and Obama
Obama is a Liar and a Fool!
Troubling resemblance
Re: My video interview with Phyllis Schlafly
My video interview with Phyllis Schlafly at CPAC 2010
Thoughts on the Possible KSM Trial About Face
The Return of Fidel
Did Bunning Throw a Brushback Pitch?
Michael Foot, 1913-2010. R.I.P.
Winston Spenser Churchill, 1940-2010. R.I.P.
Muslim Cleric Issues Fatwa Against Terrorism
If You Jam it Down Our Throats, We Will Stick it U...